Blythe House Hospicecare launches annual sunflower memorial fundraising appeal for High Peak residents

Blythe House Hospicecare and Helen’s Trust are hosting their annual Sunflower Memories appeal throughout June, where supporters can dedicate a flower in memory of someone special, and make a donation to support local hospice care and services.

For a suggested minimum donation of £10, you can dedicate a sunflower in the virtual hospice garden and receive your own sunflower plaque bearing your relative or friend’s name to plant in your garden at home.

Among those who have already pledged their support is Buxton resident Steven Searle, who wanted to express his gratitude to Blythe House and staff who supported his beloved grandma Heather Buxton, who died in February after suffering kidney failure and cancer.

Steven said: “It was so important for my grandma to be at home. After spending nine weeks in hospital, during the coronavirus pandemic, she was sometimes very emotional and distressed.

“It meant everything to me and my family to have her safe at home and to have the care in place from Blythe House’s Hospice at Home service, because that is where she wanted to be. Nobody wants to think about their loved one dying in an isolated environment on their own.”

He added: “Grandma had support from amazing healthcare assistants during the morning and evening, helping with bathing and personal care, amongst other tasks. The healthcare assistants also provided overnight sits so that my grandad and my Mum, who had moved into her parents’ home to help care for grandma, could get a proper night’s sleep.

“Without Blythe House, we wouldn’t have coped. We were a family in need, and although the whole situation was traumatic, to see grandma so poorly, it was made one hundred times better. I am dedicating a sunflower this June in memory of my grandma, and to support Blythe House to raise as much income as possible for this vital service.”

All the money raised during the month-long commemorations will go towards providing free palliative and end of life care to local patients.

To find out more about donating to Blythe House and Helen’s Trust in memory of someone you love, and to visit the virtual sunflower garden, see www.blythehousehospice.org.uk/sunflower-memories.

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